WonderCon 2012: DC launches campaign to fight hunger in Africa

DC Comics is teaming up with WonderCon attendees to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa through a text-to-give campaign.

DC Entertainment’s campaign, called We Can Be Heroes, is targeting the tens of thousands of TV, film and comics fans converging on the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend for WonderCon (Comic-Con International’s junior sibling) to raise money for three humanitarian aid organizations working to alleviate the hunger crisis in the drought-stricken African region: Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps.

People can donate by texting the word “HEROES” to 80888. DC Comics, whose Justice League superheroes are serving as fictional spokespeople for the campaign, is matching every dollar donated up to $1 million.

“Fans at WonderCon and beyond can band together with the Justice League to make a difference and save lives, just by sending a simple text message,” said Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment.

The campaign will kick off at DC’s WonderCon booth, where attendees can visit interactive exhibits about the hunger crisis, have a “superhero picture” taken for the We Can Be Heroes website and possibly receive a free campaign poster signed by comics creators Geoff Johns and Jim Lee.

WonderCon, now in its 26th year, kicks off Friday morning at the Anaheim Convention Center. The event, which spent the last six years in San Francisco, makes this detour because of major renovations at the Moscone Center. In addition to booths from major entertainment companies in film, TV and comics, the convention features panels with creators and actors, a children’s film festival, gaming, an autograph area, a vast merchant floor and a masquerade event.